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Library Bookclubs: November 17 (Zone One)

About the Book

How to Access the Book

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

A group of cartoon zombies march towards the viewer

The CDC used the metaphor of a zombie apocalypse to teach people how to properly prepare for an emergency. View the entire graphic novel here. 

Questions to ponder as you read the book

  • While Zone One has zombies within it, it doesn't feel like your traditional zombie book. What did you think of this? What did you think of the writing style? 
  • What did you think of the character Mark Spitz? How does he feel about what has and is happening around him? What do we learn about him throughout the book? What do you think about Whitehead's decision to never tell us his actual name? 
  • What did you think of Whitehead's decision to have the book take place only over 3 days?
  • Do you think the zombies are a metaphor? For what? How might our current society mirror this one? 
  • Whitehead wrote Zone One years before the COVID-19 pandemic, but it still features a pandemic and an affected society. Does it bring up any feelings or memories of the COVID-19 pandemic for you? What parallels can be drawn between the COVID-19 pandemic and the world Whitehead describes? 
  • New York City plays a pivotal role in the novel. Why do you think Whitehead chose this as the setting? What did you learn about the society Whitehead describes through his descriptions of NYC? How might the book have differed if it was set somewhere else, such as a suburban or rural setting? What if it had taken place outside the US? 
  • If this took place in real life, what role do you think you'd play? Would you become a sweeper? Would you leave New York City for somewhere safer? Would you try and help rebuild? 
  • If a society falls, like the one in Zone One, do you think the goal should be to rebuild it as it was or to build a new society? 
  • How do the zombies in Zone One differ or compare to zombies in other media you've read/seen/interacted with?
  • Why do you think Whitehead chose to include zombies in the book, rather than just featuring a traditional pandemic? 
  • Zombies have become increasingly popular in media of all sorts. Why do you think this is? Why are we interested in them?  
  • Do you view this book as a hopeless, sad one or does it offer you hope or optimism of any type? Why or why not?
  • How do we find hope and optimism and the will to keep going when things get really bad? What gives you hope or optimism in hard times? 
  • How do we keep our humanity (and not become soulless zombies) in times of hardship, especially large scale hardships like a pandemic?  

More Resources

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James A. Cannavino Library

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(845) 575-3106

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